I score up my rotors with a stone type honing tool that chucks into a drill, otherwise, I'll use them until they get scored up or something. Gary Allen, I feel your pain. My 17 year old step daughter just recently got her license. She comes up the street, turns and comes blowing up the driveway about 30 mph without so much as a tap on the brake pedal. She's already destroyed the chin spoiler on my wife's Saturn.
new pads but same rotors
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NYEngineer, I feel your pain. My stepdaughter and I had a couple of good heart-to-heart "discussions" about the car she drives.
I bought it. My name is on it.
If it came to it, I'd park it in the back yard and see how high I could get the flames as I burned it to the ground.
She's much better now...
I bought it. My name is on it.
If it came to it, I'd park it in the back yard and see how high I could get the flames as I burned it to the ground.
She's much better now...
So I guess many just throw on new pads as long as the rotors are not badly scored. This sounds very reasonable to me. This makes the cost of a brake job more like $20 and less than one hour of time.
Now a repair shop is working under different guidelines, they want the customer to have the very best braking and no returns, so its reasonable for them to turn or replace rotors. And sure they want the extra $$ for doing that.
Now a repair shop is working under different guidelines, they want the customer to have the very best braking and no returns, so its reasonable for them to turn or replace rotors. And sure they want the extra $$ for doing that.
The last time I needed new pads on the front of my '01 Grand Prix I just put new pads on the old rotors. The rotors were not warped and were only slightly grooved. I hit each side of the rotor with a sander with 60 grit paper before puttting the new pads on just to clean them up a little. They seem to work as good as new. I've always had rotors turned or replaced in the past.
I get my rotors at autozone for 30 bucks each. Made in china with a 2 yr warranty. That was 1 yr ago with duralast pads. No problems so far. Btw rotors are easy to change before they rust to the hub, then you will have big problems trust me.
Rotors won't ever rust to the hub with a little anti-seize applied.
The bottom line is, you have to check with the manufacturer for this info. In my personal experience, VW Passats must get new rotors for every set of pads; MBs need new rotors every two sets of pads, and they cannot be machined or resurfaced. So, every car is different. Call your dealer.
I bought a cheap thing at Harbor Freight that was suppose to remove the glaze, etc from rotors. Its a spindle that allows some plastic-rough-up pads (like Scotchbrite) to stick to it via velcro. Pop it in a drill and it will do the trick. It will remove rust, but that is about all. If you try and remove some tough stuff, it just chews up the pads. Maybe I was expecting too much.
To: 'occupant' with Suburban and the frozen caliper on one side. The piston could be frozen in the caliper, as you suggested. Another possible cause is the brake line has collapsed internally and is acting as a 'one way valve'. IOW it allows the fluid to flow to the piston, but doesn't allow it to retract. If and when you do remove the bleeder screw and it then allows the piston to be retracted, the collapsed brake hose could be the problem. Just replace the brake hose.
My theory is car manuf. are using front rotors that are too thin and this is why they are so prone to warping. The minimum thickness(thiness?) that they can be turned is stamped on them. GM has come out and said that turning the rotors each time is no longer the recommended procedure. IOW turn rotors only if necessary, ie scoring. I have a drill attachment I bought at ADv Auto or Auto Zone, I believe. It has a 1 1/2" disc device that you can attach 'peel off' adhesive sand paper discs to. The idea is you scuff the rotor with a non directional pattern. This removes the CD like ridges in the rotor, not the deep gouges.
If one is having trouble pushing the piston back in (Suburban) what are you using. I use a huge C clamp and I doubt some rust would stop this C clamp. Also if funds are low then why not rebuild the caliper. I know few shops do it these days, but I thought the rebuild kits were available.
I agree that rotors are not as heavy duty today as they used to be. The rotors on my 98 Yukon look like toys. I don't bother cutting them because then they don't last long. I get replacements cheap enough, so when they start looking bad, I replace them.
JHZR2
Staff member
We had a problem on a dual-piston caliper in our 94 toyota previa... One of the two had seized in the bore in 190k of use.
Its not that uncommon apparently! especially if the same pair of pads have been installed and at some piston position for a long period of time.
JMH
I use the old calibrated eye tool. If they look to be scored, warped, damaged or uncomfortably thin then they get changed. Otherwise pads only.
On the wifes VW its very different. It gets pads and rotors (because they are amazingly thin to begin with), fluid exchange and I break them in. She drives hard and I need her to come home in one piece.
On the wifes VW its very different. It gets pads and rotors (because they are amazingly thin to begin with), fluid exchange and I break them in. She drives hard and I need her to come home in one piece.
JHZR2
Staff member
Then you probably want to teach her to drive right to begin with. Not only does driving hard waste resources and become a safety hazzard for herself, but it causes her to be a safety hazzard for all the rest of us too.
The smart thing is to teach her why she ought not drive that way.
JMH
Agreed. But since the bleeder screw is stripped out on that side, I might as well replace both calipers. And I'll change the hoses as well, seeing as they are probably the original 23-year old hoses. Might as well put everything new on the front while I have it apart. Parts are cheap. Slamming into the side of a new Benz when I can't stop at a red light might prove to be MUCH more expensive...
GM's service manuals describe, quantify and allow some degree of grooving when replacing pads. In the salt belt, we usually have the iron oxide encroaching on the swept area.... I toss 'em and replace. Be careful, many aftermarket rotors are cheap Chinese, Brazilian produced stuff that's of lousy quality. Look for Blanchard ground (not turned) finish, balance cuts/weights, etc. on the good ones.
Rotors are not very thick from the factory.I allways change pads and rotors as a set.
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